Rubber article.



F. J. GLEASON.

RUBBER ARTICLE. KPHICATION mgo ugv.20.-191s.

Patented J une 20, 1916.

FREDERICK J. GLEASON, F WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T Q STANDARD WOVEN FABRIC COMPANY, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l.F1u-;nERIcK J. GLEA- sox, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Valpole. in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Rubber Articles, of

which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,'is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relatesto rubber articles having surfaces which are exposed to severe wear, such for instance as rubber heels and soles for shoes, and more specifically to that class of articles of thi general character which contain plugs or inserts of some character designed to prevent slipping or to increase the wearing qualities of'the article. It has been proposed heretofore to use metal in the inserts or plugs with which articles of this general character are provided, but such attempts have never proved successful from a commercial standpoint, so far as I am aware, due chiefly tothe fact that no satisfactory way has been found of anchorinf the metal parts in the article.

It has usually been found that the metal parts become loose after the article has been in service only a relatively short time, and

stood from the following description, reference being made to the accompanylng drawings, in which- I Figure 1 1s a perspective view of a rubber heel for a shoe having a friction. plug secured there n and embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 ]S a perspective vlewshowing the structure of the plug with which the heel shown in Fig. 1 is provided; Fig.

'3- is a view similar to Fig. 2-showing a.

slightly modified construction; and Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through a friction plug secured in a heel and embodying a further modification of this invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

RUBBER ARTICLE.

Patented une 20, 1916.

Application filed November 20, 1915. Serial No. 62,619.

In the construction shown inthedrawings and referring. particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 2 designates a rubber heel of the usualforln having a friction plug 4 secured therein. Thi plug is-constructed, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, by folding together a sheet (3 of some soft metal and a sheet 8 of some non-metallic material such for instance as canvas, duck or other textile material. .These two sheets of material are laid one on top of the other and are then folded or rolled together, as shown, in Fig.

2, to form a roll 4: which. preferably is somewhat oval in cross section. This roll is then cut into short plugs, each of the required length to be incorporated in a heel. This construction provides alternate layers of metal and canvas substantially throughout the plug. Preferably thecanvas strip 8 15 treated with a rubber cement or compound, as is usual in manufacturing plugs of this character, so that when the heel is vulcanized, the canvas will unite with or bond securely to the adjacent parts .of the rubber body of the heel. I consider it preferable to extend theendlof the sheet or strip 8 somewhat beyond the end of {the me tallic sheet 6 so that the outer peripheral surface of the plug will-be composed entirely .of the'non-metallic material. ,In order to further unite the parts of the plug with each other, I prefer to use for the part 6 a sheet of lead coated or plated with copper since the .copper reacts; duringthe vulcanizing operation with the rubber composition in thecanvas andmakes a firm adhesive bond between the adjacent layers of the'sheets 6 and 8. I regard this as an important feature of my invention. It is obviou that the copper and lead might be used in the form of an alloy; infact a considerable variety of compositions could be used for this purpose although I prefer to use a soft metal in shoeheels and solesin order to avoid the presence of materialthat might abrade or scratch, to an objectionable degree, surfaces such for lnstance as hardwood floors, with which they might come in contact. I find it desirable to use'lead because of its friction properties. The plug 4, as shown in Fig. 1, is, insertedin the heel so that the sheets ,6 and 8 lie transversely to the tread face and their edge portions from that shown in Figsj l and 2 in that the metal sheet 6 is perforated, as indicated at 9. This construction is of advantage in .thatthe metallic and n0n-n1etallic sheets in this case not only are so infolded with or inwrapped in each other that, they are firmly secured together,. but the material of the sheet 8 sinks into the apertures 9 and thusaffords an additional means for interlocking the two sheets. This idea is carried somewhat farther in the construction shown scribed as embodied in a rubber shoe heel, it is obvious that it is equally applicable to other rubber articles, such for instance as shoe soles, crutch tips, its application to such uses is regarded as falling within the scope of the present insurface and having a friction plug therein vention.

The article above described is in some respects an improvement on that disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 23,490, filed April 23, 1915, but the claims of the present application are limited to subject-matter not disclosed in my earlier application, the broad claims being presented in the earlier case.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rubber article, having a wearing surface and having a riction plug secured therein, said plug comprising layers of metal containing lead, and layers of non metallic material mechanically interloc ked with said layers of metal.

2. A rubber article having a wearing Comprising layers of friction metal in sheet form extending transversely to the said surface and layers of non-metallic material between the layers of said metal.

3. A rubber article having a Wearing surface and having a. friction plug therein comprising sheets of friction metal and textile material folded together and extending transversely to said surface, whereby the edges of the sheets are presented to the Wear at said surface.

of the character above While the invention has been above de-' rubber tires, etc., and

form arranged therein bonded to the adjacent parts of said artie 4. A rubber article having a Wearing surface and'havmg a frlction plug therein comprising sheets of soft metal and non- Q metallic material inwrapped in each other and having their edges exposed to the Wear at said surface.

5. A rubber article having a wearing surface and having a friction plug therein coim prising sheets of friction metal and nonmetallic material folded together and err tending transversely to said surface, where by the edges of the sheets the wear at said surface.

. 6. A rubber article having a wearing surface and having a friction plug secured therein, said plug comprising layers of metal containing copper, and layers of nonmetallic material mechanically interlocked with said layers of metal.

7. A rubber article having a wearihg'surfaceand having a friction plug therein conr prising layers of soft metal in sheet form extending transversely to the said surface,

and layers of non-metallic material icetween the layers of said friction metal, said non-metallic material being united with adjacent material of said article.

8. A rubber article having a Wearing surface and having a soft metalin strip form,

arranged therein to present edge portions thereof to the wear on said surface. u

9. A rubber article having a Wearing sur face and having lead in strip form arranged therein to present edge portions thereof to the wear on said surface.

10. A rubber article having a Wearing surface and having a soft metal in strip to present edge portions thereof to the Wear on said surface, and non-metallic material mechanically in- .terlocked with said metal and bonded the adjacent parts of said article.

11. A rubber articlehaving a wearing surface and containing a soft metal ranged therein in layers extending tr-1sversely to said surface,.said layers beii erforated, and. layers of other and in firm engagement with said layers metal.

12. A rubber article having a friction surface and having a soft metal, including lead and copper, in sheet form arranged in said article topresent edge portions thereof to the wear on said surface, and non-metallic material mechanically interlocked with said metal and bonded to the adjacent parts of said article.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

. FREDERICK J. GLEASON.

are presented to 

